Ben Wheatley to direct Doctor Who episodes

The acclaimed director of Sightseers and A Field In England will direct the opening two episodes of series eight

The acclaimed director of Sightseers and A Field In England will direct the opening two episodes of series eight

British filmmaker Ben Wheatley has revealed he is to direct Peter Capaldi's first episodes of Doctor Who , which are expected next autumn. He is best known for the thrillers Kill List and Sightseers , and recently A Field In England . Wheatley said he was "excited and honoured" to have been asked, adding that he has been "a fan since childhood".

He also claimed that Tom Baker is his Doctor but loves all of the current run, which has been watching with his son. "I'm really looking forward to working with Peter Capaldi and finding out where Steven Moffat is planning to take the new Doctor," he told the BBC blog .

Wheatley's Sightseers , a dark comedy about a couple who embark on a killing spree, received seven nominations at the British Independent Film Awards, eventually winning best screenplay. His most recent film was psychedelic English civil-war drama A Field In England , starring Reece Shearsmith (who's due to play the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, in a drama later this year).

But before the new series of Doctor Who we of course still have "The Day Of The Doctor" to look forward to on Saturday 23 November. Find out more about that in issue 241 of SFX on sale this Wednesday with an exclusive Who cover feature .